2009 Nissan 370Z Touring Introduction

Better, stronger, faster - the new 370Z is Nissan's Six Million Dollar Man.

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By Jonathan Elfalan, Road Test Editor

Jun 15, 2009

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After comparing the (April 2009), a sports car of similar performance costing nearly twice as much, we came away respecting the dynamic potential, but were probably more impressed that could stage the assault at such a cut-rate price.

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Well, the Z did end up losing that battle, but as they say, the war (over your hard-earned Benjamins) is what ultimately matters.

The distilled down to its primary purpose is the only car within a mile or two of its MSRP to provide all the essentials of a pure sports coupe — a taut, responsive chassis, no more than two seats, a manual gearbox and rear-wheel drive. Compromise, like having rear passenger seats, could have spruced up its utility rating, but would've diluted the essence of what makes the new Z the contender it is.

Having had a first-generation 350Z long-term car in 2005, albeit with more than a few first-generation teething problems, we admire the formula Nissan adheres to...and has greatly refined in producing the new Z. Under the hood is the latest iteration of the VQ-series V-6, the VQ37VHR, displacing 3.7 liters and producing 332 bhp at 7000 rpm and 270 lb.-ft. of torque at 5200 rpm. The new VQ not only produces more power and torque while revving to a higher rpm, but feels more polished than the 3.5-liter it replaces, which certainly has increased its overall drive appeal thus far.

The suspension also underwent an overhaul, gaining a livelier double A-arm setup in front with a revised rear multilink that's a marked improvement over the 350Z's, greatly enhancing both the handling feel and turn-in crispness.

The interior of our 370Z is a huge step up in execution and quality, replete with power-adjustable heated leather and synthetic-suede seats, Bluetooth phone connectivity and a premium eight-speaker Bose sound system with dual subwoofers and satellite radio (all part of the $4530 Touring trim package). The rear chassis brace that once formed a blockade for anything you attempted to throw in the trunk has been relocated up against the back of the seats, for a significant gain in cargo space. And although most of the silver interior accents are plastic, they don't appear cheap, which makes a world of difference from an owner's standpoint. Of note, even the standard interior of our previous 370Z test car outshined the leather-heavy cockpit in our subjective ratings.

For those still unfamiliar with what a SynchroRev Match transmission is or how it works, here's the story: It's a traditionally shifted 6-speed manual gearbox with speed sensors on each gear's synchronizer. This allows the computer to match engine speed with road speed with respect to each gear. This innovative gearbox is almost magical in how it calculates the exact amount of throttle needed for ultra-smooth downshifts every time.

So far, SynchroRev Match has proven an asset on track (at least during the times we remembered not to heel-and-toe), but we've yet to discover its true place here in the real world — a neat quirk (or unintended consequence?) is the ability to blip the throttle at speed simply by shaking the gearshift from side to side while in neutral.

With the improvements Nissan has made to the new Z, we are glad to see the company has also managed to keep it affordable. Over the next year we plan to find out if any of the old 350's ghosts resurface in this latest incarnation — we're absolutely sure its soul remains.